good thursday morning. coming up on "early today," the incredible 911 call between police and a hero that prevented the georgia school shooting. unspeakable images coming from syria as the world demands to know if chemical weapons were used. the girlfriend of the gunned down australian baseball player speaks out. plus bradley manning gets 35 years but may only serve 7. playstation4 versus xbox 1, prepare for battle. just another day at the beach in russia. plus amazing video of a sinkhole swallowing up whole trees. "early today" starts right now. >> announcer: this is "early

today" for thursday, august 22nd. disturbing images out of syria of a suspected deadly gas attack. they are doflt watch but syrian rebels say they are important to show. it's alleged evidence of what may be the worst chemical weapons attack anywhere in more than 20 years. the syrian government denies using the chemical weapons and it's something president obama warned against a year ago. >> we have communicated in no uncertain terms with every player in the region that that's a red line for us and there would be enormous consequences if we start seeing movement on the chemical weapons front or the use of chemical weapons. >> nbc's yousef gamal el-din is in cairo. good morning. >> reporter: betty, a tough few days ahead for syria and the international community as they try to grasp the extent of the tragedy that happened outside a damasc damascus. analysts believe it might have been a chemical weapons attack

based on the symptoms exhibited by victims in the footage that has emerged. we cannot independently verify the footage we've seen so far. very troubling and distressing, or can we verify the death toll for that matter. the u.n. security council convened foreign emergency session in new york but again there was another political impasse and the ultimate outcome was watered down as a result of objections from russia and china. and that is going to drive significant frustration from countries around the world towards taking their own action in dealing with the syrian civil war, be it by arming the rebels or funding them or supporting the syrian government. the turkish prime minister has said now that all red lines are crossed. we have to see whether the u.s. political calculus changes. the other story we're following is the possible imminent release of former president egyptian president muhammad hosni mubarak. this is after the judge decided to clear him of outstanding

charges, and the prosecution rested its case. but the military did intervene and said if he is to be released we'll be placed under house arrest sensing it would only add to political tensions on the ground. betty? >> thank you for that. this morning we have new details about the gunman who threatened an atlanta area school this week. and what is so remarkable is the composure of the school bookkeepbookkeep er antoinette tuff. >> i'm in the front office. ooh he just went outside and started shooting. ooh can i run? >> can you just get somewhere safe? >> yeah, i got to go. no, he's going to see me. >> reporter: she became the go-between with police. hill tells tuff he should have just gone to the mental hospital instead of doing this. he asks tuff to get on the

intercom and tell the kids he's sorry. >> this is a continuous lockdown. the gunman wants to let everybody know that he's sorry. he does not want to harm anybody. everybody stay in place until the lockdown is over. after that, hill becomes downright obedient and just before the police come in, tuff tells the gunman she loves him. >> it's going to be all right, sweetie. i just want you to know that i love you, though, okay? and i'm proud of you. that's a good thing that you've just given up and don't worry about it. we all go through something in life. >> at that point, hill offers to come out with his hands up instead, the police enter. here's what it sound like and listen to tuff's reaction as the gunman is taken away. >> hello? >> yes. >> let me tell you something. i've never been so scared in all the days of my life. >> me either. but you did great. you did great.

>> oh, god. >> that courage and composure is why tuff is being hailed a hero today. that was nbc's matt pearl reporting. turning now to some 51 large wildfires burning out west. the u.s. forest service has revealed that it's down to its final $50 million which is only enough to fight fires for a few days. now the agency is diverting $600 million to keep firefighters on the ground. it's the sixth time funds have been moved since 2002. closing arguments are set to begin in the ft. hood rampage trial. army major nidal hasan rested his case wednesday without call anything witnesses. representing himself in court, the army psychiatrist said american soldiers deploying overseas to, quote, engine in an illegal war provoked the kill ing of 13 people and wounded others. jury deliberations could begin as soon as today.

good news this morning for vice president biden's son. beau biden is expected to leave the hospital today after what's described as a successful procedure. the 41-year-old delaware attorney general has been at houston's m.d. andersen's center since earlier this week. vice president biden says his son is in great shape and will consult with doctors in the coming weeks. a sinkhole caused quite a sight. that sinkhole has grown to 25 acres from nothing in about a year. as you can see right here it is swallowing up several trees in just under a minute. it doesn't even look real, folks. this is not movie magic. this is real and incredible video. we want to get a closer look at the weather and exactly why all of this is happening. bill karins? >> the only thing i can think of it looked like a tree when they go through a shredder. >> i want to know where does it

go underground? where is all of this going? >> there's a secret tree world. >> is that what it is? >> yeah, like all the hobbits. >> fire season. 51 uncontrolled blazes right now. let me show you where they are located. pretty widespread. a couple in arizona. really in idaho, california, oregon and portions of western montana. 14 in idaho alone. what's interesting is that we also told you about the running out of money to fund the firefighting efforts. we have only had about half the acreage burn this year as we did last year. almost the same as 2011. so it's interesting we're already out of money, even though the fire season hasn't been as bad as last year. as far as satellite and radar goes, unfortunately today, more moisture and humidity being sent up into the rockies. we're in a drought. we want the rain but don't want the thunderstorms because those have lightning and they cause new fires to form. and that's going to happen again today with that stationary front and the added monsoonal moisture. it's going to be hot and then some of those dry-based

thunderstorms. and unfortunately probably new additional fires to have to dow. the fire threat still the big story. it doesn't look like this weather pattern is going to change much. the thunderstorms can be beneficial, too. we can rain over top of these fire hot spots and benefit the firefighters, but -- >> sometimes you wonder if that sinkhole would just take down that fire. >> that would be interesting. >> to the underground tree world. i'm still concerned about that. thank you, bill. a major u.s. company is dropping thousands of spouses from their health care plans. plus, he was shot and killed while visiting his girlfriend. now she is speaking out. you're watching "early today."

welcome back. dr. martin luther king jr. gave

his legendary "i have a dream" speech at the lincoln memorial 50 years ago this week. in celebration of the anniversary, the capitol will be hosting a number of events and rallies. people are expected to attend a rally on saturday. and the president will be marking the anniversary on wednesday with a speech on the steps of the lincoln memorial. bill clinton and jimmy carter will also be featured. now to some other stories making news this morning. bradley manning, the soldier who leaked thousands of secret government documents, was sentenced to 35 years in prison on wednesday. manning's lawyer has other plans, though, saying the army private could be out in as little as seven years and may even seek a presidential pardon. the girlfriend of the australian baseball player shot dead in oklahoma says finding out about his death was the most shocking thing she ever experienced and her heart, quote, just broke right there. when asked about the three teens

suspected of the murders, she said she never wants to hear of them again. >> they have no remorse and no compassion and no motive, so i have no time. they are not worth my effort. another bizarre twist in the hannah anderson kidnapping case. her family has denied reports that hannah's alleged abductor could have been her biological father. this after the family of now deceased james dimaggio requested dna samples. the andersons say hannah's mother did not nemeet dimaggio until she was 6 months pregnant with hannah. beachgoers in russia scrambled to get out of the way of a huge 400-person military hovercraft that inexplicably landed on the beach. can you imagine seeing this? the vessel was reportedly out for a routine training exercise. in health news, the "new york times" reports doctors in india suspect a child might be suffering from spontaneous human

combustion. that's right. the report says this 3-month-old baby boy has burst into flames four times. scientists are skeptical about shc and doctors treating him say they haven't come to any conclusion but are carrying out tests. the baby's parents deny any foul play. >> announcer: "early today" health is brought to you by vagisil ph balance wash. now for business news we turn to courtney reagan. >> good morning, betty. investors are anxious to see which direction stocks will go after they fell late wednesday from -- with minutes from the last fed meeting showing they are ready to start pulling back on its stimulus measures. the issue is it didn't say when. the dow closes at its two-month low and had its worst six-day losing streak since may of 2012. u.p.s. will cut health benefits for working spouses of

employees partly due to higher costs from obama care. it affects 15,000 spouses. yahoo! has topped google in the number of people visiting its websites. it's the first time google hasn't been top dog in five years. the boost comes shortly after yahoo! bought popular blogging site tumblr. probably had something to do with it. >> i think so. thank you courtney. straight ahead, major milestones on the diamond and all your sports headlines. that's next.

definitely not on that list, unfortunately. now the latest in sports. an historic moment in baseball. ichiro suzuki becomes the third person in baseball history to reach 4,000 hits. his first at-bat he smacked a line drive in the yankees dugout. they cleared the benched and owl went out there to congratulate him. the yanks beat the blue jays, 4-2. pete rose and ty cobb are the only other players to achieve this feat. suzuki's 4,000 hits are a combination of his playing time in japan and his playing in the majors. he has 2,722 hits in the u.s. and he is gunning for 3,000. and you cannot keep this tiger out of the game. after straining his groin, hip and abdominal area tuesday, miguel cabrera was down but not

out. at the bottom of the eighth, bases load, he seals the tigers win over the minnesota twins with a double and clearing the bases. tigers took the twins, 7-1. this hurts to watch. max of the houston astros gets beamed in the fast by rangers pitcher. check that out slow mo. it hurts to watch that. a 96-mile-per-hour throw. stassi gets hit near the left cheek and is taken to the hospital where he's staying overnight. atlanta's jason hayward also was beaned in the face when the braves -- oh, ouch! played the new york mets earlier. he was taken out of the game immediately with a broken jaw. good luck to him recovering. tennis champ maria sharapova has withdrawn from the upcoming u.s. open due to a shoulder injury. speedy recovery to her. to some basketball news now,

los angeles clippers guard chris paul was elected president of the national basketball association. and lebron james is playing dress up channeling his inner dr. jay. he says dr. jay is making a comeback. james says his top three nba players of all time are, of course, michael jordan, larry bird and julius irving. so this is just flipping crazy. can you believe that? this cheerleader definitely has the spirit and is ready for basketball season. the washington state university spirit squad filmed this cool half-court shot while they were just practicing. this was just practice. can you imagine a cheerleader at practice? this person is flipping out. i imagine the coach probably is, too, trying to get that cheerleader on the team. just ahead, he was the driving force behind some of the world's most successful and ground-breaking musical acts, next.

earlier we showed you mother nature's power sucking in those trees in a sinkhole. how about mother nature's beauty. these are red sprites. they happen almost like lightning bolts but they go the opposite way. they shoot up into space. this photograph was taken by a gri trying to search for them over nebraska. don't know why they happen or when they occur or why. we could get thunderstorms in the intermountain west. the concern is additional fires with the lightning strikes.

we could use the rainfall if we do get it. warm in the desert areas with clouds keeping it down just a little bit. pretty cool. red sprites is what they are called. don't know a lot about them. >> that guy was able to capitalature. >> he said he called himself lucky. >> absolutely. thank you. now for some entertainment news, the trailer for "parkland", the untold story of jfk's shooting is set to hit theaters in october. former partridge family heartthrob david cassidy was arrested yesterday on suspicion of a dui and taken into custody by none other than tom jones. not the musician but a new york state police officer with the same name. cassidy was released on $2500 bail. prison break star wentworth miller is protesting russian laws. the actor sent a tloert the st. petersburg film festival turning down an invitation to attend because he is gay. legendary promoter sid burnstein, the force behind the

beatles, abba, jimi hendrix. he actually died wednesday. he was 95 years old. pitch perfect star anna kendrick may have an excellent voice but may not be as excellent when on set. the actress recently admitted that when on the set of her new movie "drinking buddies" she was given real beer and got drunk. "i was horrified by the idea that i was going to be the next troublesome star who got drunk and started flipping over tables or whatever. i just tried to sit quietly until i sobered up." >> people give you beer you get drunk? >> i guess so. steve martin and kermit came together to help save the children and promoting a new book entitled "comic genius." playing a little bit of the banjo there. >> it's not easy being green. i'm betty ngyuen. hope it's just your first stop of the day on nbc.

the lead story in the "san diego union tribune," a proposed filner settlement reached. mayor bob filner has reportedly secured a settlement that sets the stage for his tenure as san diego's mayor. britain's prince will will talk about how the new prince's nursery will be decorated. and disturbing images out of syria from a suspected gas attack. around 1700 people were killed. nbc news has not verified that number. the last batch of president richard nixon's oval office tapes are available at the nixon library. he spoke on the phone to chief of staff h.r. hadalman after key aides were forced to resign in

1973. take a listen. >> it's a tough thing, bob, for you and john, the rest but -- i'm never going to discuss this son of a -- watergate thing again. never, ever. hopeful news for a 12-year-old arkansas girl fighting a rare infection caused by a brain-eeth amoeba. kayley is speaking again. she can say yes and no and also hi mama and daddy. tests show no more signs of the parasite in her system. that is one lucky little girl. a small lake in florida has just up and disappeared. check it out. residents believe that a sinkhole swallowed up the lake. at some point it was 8 feet deep and now it's barely even there. the neighborhood saw the lake becoming more shallow on tuesday. by late tuesday afternoon, it was essentially gone. all right. enough of the sinkholes already. >> a sinkhole kind of creeps people out. you just picture walking and the ground gives out and then you are gone. >> you kind of think -- what is

that? the sinking sand, but -- >> quick sand. >> yeah, but, no, this is a giant hole. crazy. time for a look ahead. president obama heads to upstate new york today. the president will speak about the economy at the state university of new york in buffalo. former new england patriots tight end aaron hernandez will be back in court today. he faces a probable cause hearing in the shooting death of semiprofessional football player, 27-year-old odin lloyd. also happy birthday to actress kristen wiig, giada laurentiis is 43 and valerie harper 74. "today" exclusive as hannah anderson talks for the first time about her kidnapping and rescue. and we want to say congratulations to "today" news anchor jenna wolfe and nbc news correspondent stephanie gosk on their new baby girl named harper. >> i like that name. >> keep it here for more news, weather and sports i'm betty ngyuen. thanks for watching today. have a good one.

it is out of control. a wildfire burning near yosemite forces more people out of their homes as more bay area crews head in to help. we have new numbers from overnight. my mom raised me to be strong. >> just weeks after her disappearance sparks an amber alert across six states, hannah anderson is speaking out in an nbc exclusive. we'll let you know why she now doesn't consider herself a victim. a late night house fire leads to an unexpected discovery at the bay area. what firefighters found that could have the people who live here facing some serious charges. right now let's take it live outside for a look spanning over the city by the bay. that is a beautiful